Read/Watch 'em In Order #173
A year after we were introduced to rare book dealer Joel Sloan and his wife Gerda in Fast Company, the two returned in 1939's Fast and Loose.
But they are no longer played by Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice. Rather, they've been transformed into Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell.
It is perhaps even more obvious in the sequel than in the original that MGM is trying to replicate a Thin Man vibe with this series. The Sloans banter with each other constantly. As with the first movie, this is just fine. Montgomery and Russell have good chemistry together and Russell in particular is a master at playing that sort of character.
In this one, Sloan is asked to be an agent in the purchase of a Shakespeare manuscript. He and Gerda are staying at the home of the current owner when things begin to get hairy. The manuscript turns out to be a forgery. The owner's personal librarian disappears. And then the owner is murdered.
Gerda isn't happy about Joel investigating another murder after he got shot in the behind last time. But there's no choice. The cops suspect someone Joel believes to be innocent.
There are a number of other suspects, including a ruthless gangster who tries to threaten the Sloans and later has his thugs run them off the road. Sloan keeps plugging away, even after his best theory is seemingly shot down and two more murders occur. But eventually, he is able to finger the killer and find the real Shakespeare manuscript.
It really is a fun movie. I think Montgomery and Russell play off one another even better than Douglas and Rose (though that's subjective--both couples are excellent). The murder mystery is relatively clever and the banter is indeed witty.
One more movie in the series to go---with different actors again taking over the lead roles. We'll soon see how they stack up against the others.
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